Trump's megabill could turn out to be the GOP's death knell: analysis

A new MSNBC article by former RNC chair Michael Steele claims that Senate Republicans aren't just deciding whether to add $3.8 trillion to the nation's debt by passing President Donald Trump's massive spending bill; it's also deciding on the future of the party itself and the people it claims to represent.

"Is it a party of Trump — tossing new parents, tipped workers and seniors a few crumbs while cutting the social safety net and giving very wealthy individuals a massive tax cut?" Steele asked. "Or are there enough old-school conservatives left to make the bill more economically responsible?"

Steele claimed that Trump's bill is essentially a loyalty test to see who will feed into the president's desire for total control. It would allow him to pay for his $175 billion Golden Dome missile defense system, among other expensive pursuits, while fiddling with entitlements like Medicare to pay for it -- something Trump said he'd never touch.

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House Republicans have already come to heel, passing their version of the bill that bows to Trump's whims.

"This isn’t a battle over fiscal prudence. It is a battle over obedience," Steele wrote. "If they side with Trump, they’ll have to defend cutting programs like Medicaid and SNAP. They will have to answer to constituents who will feel the direct effects of their vote. We are not talking about the price of eggs anymore. We are talking about the cost of healthcare–or having access to healthcare at all. Do they think the voters won’t remember who took their safety net away?"

Steele claimed that hanging in the balance are "the remnants of traditional conservative philosophies" about spending versus "unfettered economic retribution at the hands of Trump."

Steele asked, if the Republican Party is already a shell of what it was before Trump's complete dominance, what would be its future if it no longer served the people at all?

"So far, no one seems willing to truly risk their political careers on principle," Steele wrote. "Which is why Trump remains so smug about passage of his 'Big Beautiful Bill.'"

Read the MSNBC article here.